Various designs of portable or so-called “point-of-use” (POU) water filters are commonly used to remove contaminants from or to purify drinking water. Conventional filter designs generally include filtration media which are permanently encased within a rigid cartridge. This cartridge may be made, for example, from polypropylene that is sonically welded together to permanently encase the filtration media there within. After a maximum period of time or a maximum volume of water filtered using the filtration media, the filtration media must be replaced. Due to the construction of the rigid filter cartridge, which does not permit the filtration media to be easily accessed without damaging or destroying the cartridge, the entire cartridge must typically be discarded and replaced with a new cartridge containing new filtration media. As a result, a great deal of waste is created in replacing the filtration media. Further, the cost of replacement filtration media is significantly increased by the need for an entirely new cartridge. Further, due to the difficulty and cost required to separate the rigid cartridge from the filtration media, neither the filtration media nor the cartridge may be readily recycled. Instead, both are commonly discarded as waste, filling up landfills and causing potentially significant environmental harm.
The disadvantages of current filters outlined above, among other things, are overcome by a new design of filter that works with a removable cartridge system.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a new design of a water filter that works with a water filter cartridge and closure system that overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art and provides the advantages as described in this disclosure. In particular, a long-felt and long-unaddressed need exists for a new design of filtration system that enables the filtration media to be replaced in a low-cost, environmentally friendly manner.